There is a lot of money involved in modern day football and even the mid-table clubs resort to extensive transfer activity in the transfer season. It was no different in the Premier League this summer as almost all the clubs, barring a few, brought in radical reinforcements to bolster their squad ahead of the season.
Liverpool were the highest spending club in the Premier League this summer and the Reds made the headlines with the mega-money signings of Alisson, Naby Keita and Fabinho. Chelsea weren’t behind either and the new manager Maurizio Sarri brought in the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga who became the most expensive goalkeeper in the world.
Even the Premier League newcomers Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers did not hesitate to splash the cash to boost their chances of survival in the Premier League.
While some of the new signings have already hit the ground running, others haven’t quite hit top gear and are struggling to make an impact. Here are 3 players who were bought for a big sum but haven’t lived up to their billing so far:-
Jose Mourinho splashed £52 million to land the Brazilian central midfielder from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer but the 25-year-old has made only 4 starts in the Premier League this season.
He scored his first goal against Wolves and shook the crossbar with a curling free-kick in the same match. That has been the highlight of his performance so far and the fans have every right to expect more from a £52 million signing.
He has not looked too good with his decision-making and the manager has found it difficult to assign him a definite role in the midfield. He has been tried out in different positions but hasn’t had much influence on the game. He was used in a more advanced role against Spurs but let the team down with some horrible decision-making in the final third after which he has been used in a holding role.
A little less expensive than Fred, Liverpool bought the Brazilian for £43.7 million from AS Monaco in the summer but he hasn’t played a significant role in the squad. The 24-year-old played in the Carabao Cup game against Chelsea but looked way off the pace. He was too sluggish and rusty and looked far off from challenging for a first-team place in the Premier League.
Jurgen Klopp has stated that he needs more time to adapt his game and acclimatise to the style of play prevalent in England (h/t Bleacher Report) but one might just wonder whether Klopp, who is always spot on with his transfers, might have got this one wrong.
The Seagulls splashed £17 million on last season’s Eredivisie top scorer but he is yet to register a single goal this season.
Let alone goals, the Iranian has only played for 168 minutes in the Premier League and has made 7 appearances, 6 out of which have come from the bench.
The Iranian has found regular minutes difficult to come by because of the presence of other wingers like Anthony Knockaert and Solly March. Also, the 35-year-old Glenn Murray has kept him out of the starting line-up.
Jahanbakhsh had made a name for himself in the Eredivisie as a fast and dangerous attacker with a keen eye for goal but he hasn’t managed to replicate that in the Premier League so far.